Tea-blending machinery.



C. A. SCOTT. TEA BLENDING MACHINERY. APPLICATION II-LED sum 2, 1906.

Patented May 30, 1911.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Applicaticn flled July 2, 1906. Serial No.324,395,.

Patented May 30, 19 11.

T all whom it may concern:

Be. it known that I, Crnmucs Ancrrnlhnn SCOTT, a subject of the King of Great Britain an'd.,.Ireland, and resident of Didsbury, Manchester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tea- Blending Machinery, of which the following is a specification.

Tea blending machinery to which these improvements refer consists of a large rotary drum fitted with internal scoop-like vanes, which, as the drum is rotated, agitate the teas and toss them about wave or shower fashion until thoroughly blend ed. The teas, when blended, are withdrawn through an opening in the side of the drum,

and the drumrequires to be in motion for the teas to flow out. The drum has its full charge when about half full, and a complete blend is usually obtained when the drum has made about eight to. ten rotations.

After the teas are blended it is desirable that the drum should be rotated as little as possible, since, on the one hand, the teas cannot be further blended, and, on the other hand, further agitation ,(especially as the, drum empties) is harmful to the teas no:

that it tends to break and damage them and thus reduce their value.

The teas are usually withdrawn in quantities of about 60 to 100 lbs. at a time, and

' the operator weighs and disposes of each quantity before withdrawing the next. Instead, however, of stopping the drum after each withdrawal and while he is weighing out each quantity, the operator allows it to continue to rotate until it is empty, thusthe drum makes a much greater number of rotations than is necessary, and theteas last remaining in the drum are greatly deteriorated in value. To reduce the number of rotations of the drum to the least possible number it is obvious that the motion of the drum should be stop ed after each withdrawal of the teas, but inasmuch as the operator cannot be relied on to stop and start the drum after and before each deby the ordinary stopping and startliveic'iy I ing. evices, means are required whereby the:

stopping of the drum, after each withdrawal, shall be effected independently of the will of the operator.

. l also so ves to close the outlet and simultaneous y stop the drum, thereby making the starting and stopping of the drum subservient to the opening and closing of the outlet, which being absolutely necessary 0 erations, insure that the drum shall be stopped after each withdrawal of the tens; In such way the rotations of the drum will" be reduced to' the least possible number and the teas will be prevented from being injured.

Upon the accompanying drawing, Figure- 1 illustrates a front elevation of a teablending drum with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 illustrates a part plan, and Fig. 3' a vertical cross-sectiom'ofthe front part (or outlet side) of the drum, and .an end view of the mechanism forming my-invention. Fig. 4 illustrates an enlarged side and detached view of the cover or slide used for opening and closing the drum outlet. Fig. 5 illustrates an enlar ed side view of a detail hereinafter referre to.

(a) is the drum, and v(b) the usual frame upon which the drum is axially mounted. The inlet (a) of the drum is in the periphcry of the drum and the outlet (d) is'jn' the front side of the drum as shown, and is concentric to the axial center line& of the drum. In the said outlet and held stationary by a bar (a) is-a chute (f), the upper end of which is within the drum, while its lower end is outside the drum. Upon the top edges of the sides of the chute slidably fits the cover or lid (9), see Fig. 4, which, when pushed inward, fills the opening in the drum above the chute and thus closes the outlet for'the teas, while on being drawn outward it uncovers'the chute and opens the outlet.

Applied to or formed in the handle part ofthe cover is a rack (h). and supported in bearings (i) on the machine frame is a rotary shaft (j) whereon is loosely mounted a pinion (k), the teeth of which mesh with those of the rack (it), see Fig. 4; At one end the shaft 7') is fitted with abevel wheel (Z). with which meshes a like wheel (m), the axis of this latter being carried by a 1 i l l on and of rotatingtherewith through the medium of a key on which it slides. Upon one end of such sleeve is a half-clutch (s),

' and upon the other end a grooved boss (t).

' operator Upon the pinion (7c) is a further halfclutch (u), and when the two half-clutches engage and the shaft is rotated, the pinion is rotated, and the cover (g) moved in or out according to the direction of rotation.

When the drum is first charged with the teas to be blended and is ready to be rotated, the sleeve (2') it prei'iously clutched is unclutched from the pinion,so that on rotating the wheel (0) and shaft (7'), the motion has no effect on the cover (g), and 'only the fork of the driving belt is moved, which moving the belt on to the fast pulley starts the drum. The drum, with the outlet closed, then rotates the required number of revolutions for effecting the blending of the teas. When the teas are blended the drum is stopped by rotating the Wheel (0) back to its original position. The sleeve (7") is then clutched to the pinion (k) and at the same time or previously a receptacle for the tea is placed beneath the chute' (f). The Wheel (0)- is then again rotated, and this time owing to the pinion (is) rotating With the shaft the cover (g) is drawn out While the drum is restarted. When a sufiicient quantity of the tea has passed into the re ceptacle the Wheel (0) is again rotated back to its starting point, by which movement the cover (g) is pushed in again and the motion of the drum immediately stopped. The operatorthen removes the receptacle and weighs the teas, the drum, all the time the is Weighing and disposing of the teas, remaining stationary. Vlith each subsequent Withdrawal of the teas the same action takes place, the drum being set. in motion each time the drum outlet is uncovered, and the motion of the drum being stopped each time the outlet is closed, thus insuring that the druynshall. rotate only as and stopping devices on much as is 11ec'essary. -forthe purpose of delivering the teas, and when the teas are not being delivered shall remain stationary.

In such way the teas are prevented being damaged, and the value of the last quantity withdrawn is caused to be almost as good, if not quite as good, in value as the first quantity, or atleast of greater value than heretofore. Upon refilling the drum and making ready to blend another lot of teas, the sleeve (r) is unclutched' from -the pinion (is) until the blending is completed and the drum is stopped, when it is" again clutched to the pinion and the drum is again started and stopped and the cover operated as before. The sleeve (7') is moved to and fro by a. lever (v) pivoted to themachine frame and by a pin (1 on such lever engaging the groove of the boss (t). A fixed collar (0') serves to prevent the pinion moving along the shaft when engaged by the sleeve. The traverse of the cover (g) and that of the belt fork of the drum driving belt is correctly determined by a pin (y) on Wheel (0), which when the cover is fully home lies against one face of the Web of the bracket (11), and which when the Wheel has been rotated and the cover is fully drawn out, lies against the other face of the said web of the bracket.

vVhat I claim is In tea blending machinery, a large rotary drum in which the teas are blended, in combination with an outlet cover, a rack connected with such cover, a rotary shaft, and

means for rotating the same, a pinion loose upon the shaft and in gear with the said rack, and said pinion having a half-clutch at one end, a fixed collar on the shaft and at one side" of the pinion and a sliding sleeve on the shaft at the other side of the pinion, the end of the sleeve nearest the pinion having a l=alf=clutch similarto that on the pinion, and means by which the rotations of the shaft are communicated to the motion-starting the drum, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

C. A. SCOTT.

\Vitnesses:

dons CAMP, P. D. BAILEY. 

